Taxon Expeditions

What Taxon Expeditions does

Taxon Expeditions is a privately held Leiden-based citizen-science travel company founded and co-directed by Dr. Menno Schilthuizen and Dr. Iva Njunjić. The company organizes multi-day research expeditions to biodiversity hotspots (Amazon-Suriname, Montenegro, Ecuador, with historical operations in Borneo, Brunei, and Panama) where untrained participants work alongside credentialed scientists to collect specimens, perform field DNA analysis, and formally discover and name new species that are published in peer-reviewed journals such as BDJ, Zookeys, and Mollusca. Each expedition is capped at 12 participants with an approximately 2:1 participant-to-instructor ratio, priced between €3,300 and €4,100 per person depending on destination and accommodation.

The underlying technology is a field-based biodiversity research platform combining traditional naturalist methods (entomological collection, specimen preparation, field taxonomy) with portable molecular biology, including a mobile DNA laboratory capable of DNA extraction and Oxford Nanopore sequencing in remote environments. The company documented the first-ever in-cave DNA sequencing during its 2019 Montenegro Durmitor expedition using the VOLTRAX system and MinION sequencer. Supporting technology includes automated acoustic biodiversity recorders deployed for nocturnal soundscape monitoring. The business model is direct-to-consumer: customers book expeditions via the company website contact form and pay by electronic bank transfer with a €500 non-refundable deposit and full payment due six weeks before departure. Ancillary revenue streams include biodiversity courses, eDNA metabarcoding training, invasive alien species courses, and corporate team-building micro-expeditions delivered with mobile lab capability.

Customer segments include individual nature enthusiasts and citizen scientists, families with young adults, corporate and institutional groups for team-building events, and Indigenous communities (Wayana in Suriname, Shuar in Ecuador) that partner with the company to document biodiversity in their territories for conservation advocacy. Distribution is exclusively direct via the website, with no third-party resellers or marketplace listings. Brand visibility is built through peer-reviewed publications, species-naming media events (e.g., a beetle named after Leonardo DiCaprio), National Geographic Explorer affiliations of team members, TEDx talks, documentary production (Komarnica - The Wild That Remains), and earned media coverage in the Guardian, New York Times, Discovery Networks, and National Geographic. The 2025 European Citizen Science Award Honorary Mention (selected from 409 European initiatives) is the most recent formal recognition. The sister organization Taxon Foundation is a separate non-profit sharing the same overall mission; no institutional investment, private equity backing, or external ownership has been disclosed.

Name

Taxon Expeditions

Website

https://taxonexpeditions.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taxon Expeditions is a Leiden-based citizen-science travel company that runs small-group (max 12) research expeditions to biodiversity hotspots, where participants collect specimens and use mobile DNA labs to discover and name new species published in peer-reviewed journals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Travel / Citizen Science Expeditions

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Eco-Adventure Multi-Day Expeditions (Trekking, Hut-to-Hut, Pack Trips) (THAAAEAJ), Rainforest & Jungle Ecotourism Tours (THAAAEAF), Jungle/Rainforest Expedition & Survival Tour Operators (THAAADAI), Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG), Polar & Remote-Destination Expedition Tour Operators (THAKADAM)

Keywords

• Scientific travel
• Citizen science expeditions
• Biodiversity research trips
• Insect expeditions
• Ecotourism experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Leiden

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Expedition Fees: One-time fees charged per expedition participant. Prices range from €3,300 to €4,100 depending on the expedition destination, duration, and accommodation type. Participants pay for their spot on scheduled group expeditions.
2. Courses and Training: Biodiversity courses taught at the Leiden lab facility and on-site at client locations. Includes invasive alien species courses and eDNA metabarcoding courses organized upon request for groups of up to 6 people.
3. Corporate Outings and Team Building: Tailor-made half-day or one-day biodiversity explorations organized for companies, institutions, and schools. Includes mobile lab deployment and expert-guided team activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Taxon Expeditions organizes guided multi-day research expeditions to remote biodiversity hotspots (Amazon/Suriname, Montenegro's Secret Canyon, and Ecuador's Cutucú Range) where citizen scientists work alongside credentialed researchers to collect specimens, perform field DNA analysis using mobile labs, and formally discover and name new species published in peer-reviewed journals. The company also delivers biodiversity, invasive species, and eDNA metabarcoding courses at its Leiden lab and on-site, plus tailor-made corporate and school micro-expeditions with mobile lab deployment.

Product overview

Taxon Expeditions operates as a unified citizen-science travel platform organized around a portfolio of guided research expeditions to biodiversity hotspots worldwide, complemented by educational courses and corporate outing services. The core offering consists of multi-day expedition programs (Amazon Suriname, Secret Canyon Montenegro, Ecuador) in which citizen scientists join expert-led field teams to collect specimens, perform DNA analysis, discover and name new species, and publish findings in scientific journals. Supporting the expedition portfolio are supplementary services: Biodiversity Courses (insects, DNA, microscopy), an Invasive Alien Species Course, an eDNA Metabarcoding Course, and Company Outings & Micro Expeditions that bring mobile labs and experts to corporate or institutional settings. All offerings share the common thread of hands-on biodiversity discovery using traditional naturalist methods combined with modern DNA and field laboratory tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expedition Amazon (Suriname)
• Expedition Secret Canyon (Montenegro)
• Expedition Ecuador
• Company Outings & Micro Expeditions
• Biodiversity Courses
• Invasive Alien Species Course
• eDNA Metabarcoding Course

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants discover and formally name new species in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Taxon FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit sister organization of Taxon Expeditions. Both organizations share the overall mission to engage the general public in high-level biodiversity discovery and promote its conservation through education and awareness. Taxon Foundation works with scientists, academic institutions, NGOs, government agencies, protected area managers, businesses, and charitable foundations.
• Sunka Lodge & ReservecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen-led and Indigenous-led conservation initiative and lodge in the Cutucú Range of Ecuador's Amazon. The only lodge with a Biological Station in the entire Cutucú Range. Hosts the Ecuador Expedition and is the base for comprehensive biodiversity inventory work alongside Indigenous communities and scientists.
• Mulokot FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal NGO in Suriname that co-designed the workflow for the Amazon Expedition with Taxon Expeditions, bringing together Indigenous ecological knowledge and cutting-edge biodiversity science. Supports the Wayana Indigenous community in conservation efforts.
• Spasimo Komarnicu (Save Komarnica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots local NGO in Montenegro dedicated to preserving the free-flowing waters and ecosystems of the Komarnica River. Founded by Jelena Popović. Taxon Expeditions collaborates with Spasimo Komarnicu to document the canyon's biodiversity and support advocacy against the planned hydropower dam.
• Montenegrin Ecologists SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Montenegro for the Secret Canyon Expedition. Collaborates with Taxon Expeditions to document and conserve the unique biodiversity of the Komarnica Canyon.
• Wayana Indigenous PeoplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous People who have lived in the rainforest of the Guyanas for centuries. Invited Taxon Expeditions to help document the biodiversity of their territory to support conservation and sustainable eco-tourism development. The Amazon Expedition is conducted from their village of Apetina.
• Shuar Indigenous CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous community in Ecuador's Cutucú Range. Collaborates with Taxon Expeditions and Sunka Lodge to document the biodiversity of their territory in partnership with international scientists.
• Naturalis Biodiversity CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Dutch biodiversity research institution in Leiden. Several Taxon Expeditions team members (Menno Schilthuizen, Iva Njunjić, Jorinde Nuytinck, Jan Wieringa, Aglaia Bouma) are affiliated with or work at Naturalis.
• Ateneo de Manila UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity in the Philippines where Dr. Hendrik Freitag serves as Full Professor and leads the Ecology and Systematics Research Cluster. Coordinates international biodiversity teaching and research collaborations.
• Regrow BorneominorOthersTree-planting scheme that restores riverine forest in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Borneo. Taxon Expeditions donates to Regrow Borneo for every flight taken by expedition participants, supporting local conservation.
• Elektroprivreda Crne GoreminorOthersMontenegrin energy company planning a 172 MW hydropower plant in the Komarnica Canyon. Taxon Expeditions' Secret Canyon Expedition directly opposes this development by documenting the unique endemic biodiversity that would be lost if the dam proceeds.
• National Geographic SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Taxon Expeditions team members (Dr. Iva Njunjić, Stanimira Deleva) are National Geographic Explorers. This affiliation provides brand credibility and access to National Geographic's media network.
• University of GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution where Henk van der Meulen is completing his MSc in evolutionary biology. He participates in Taxon Expeditions and contributes expertise in genetics, entomology, and environmental DNA analyses.
• Universita degli Studi di VeronamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian university where Dr. Massimo Delledonne serves as Full Professor of Genetics. Manages the molecular biology team that performs DNA sequencing in the field, including the first-ever in-cave DNA sequencing during the 2019 Montenegro expedition.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WWF (World Wildlife Fund): Global conservation organization with biodiversity-survey programs in Suriname, Ecuador, and Borneo — the same regions Taxon Expeditions operates in. Comparable biodiversity-conservation mission and use of field expeditions to generate conservation data, though not a paid travel operator.
• Quark Expeditions: Specializes in polar and remote-destination expedition cruises with scientific staff. Comparable expedition format and remote-biodiversity focus, but operates at scale via ship-based logistics rather than land-based field labs.
• Intrepid Travel: Large adventure travel operator with biodiversity-focused and community-based itineraries. Overlaps in remote-destination nature travel but operates at much higher scale and lacks the citizen-science species-discovery component.
• Natural Habitat Adventures: Premium small-group wildlife and nature adventure travel operator with conservation partnerships. Comparable premium-pricing, small-group nature expeditions, though without the citizen-science research and species-discovery output.
• Lindblad Expeditions (National Geographic Expeditions): Larger-scale adventure and science-focused expedition cruises co-branded with National Geographic. Overlaps in 'science-led expedition travel' positioning and Nat Geo affiliation, though operates at much greater scale and broader geography.

Direct peers

• Earthwatch Institute: Organizes paid citizen-science expeditions pairing volunteers with scientists for biodiversity and environmental research globally. Comparable model of combining adventure travel with peer-reviewed fieldwork and participant contributions to science.
• Operation Wallacea: Runs paid volunteer expeditions supporting biodiversity and conservation research in biodiversity hotspots. Highly comparable academically-grounded, expedition-based citizen-science model targeting nature-enthusiast participants.
• Biosphere Expeditions: Runs volunteer-based wildlife conservation expeditions worldwide where non-scientists participate in real biodiversity research. Closest direct peer given the citizen-science expedition model, field-based research output, and participation in species surveys.

Emerging players

• Reef Biosearch: Runs small-group citizen-science reef and biodiversity research expeditions in remote regions. Comparable niche scientific-expedition model and small-team structure, though focused primarily on marine rather than rainforest/cave ecosystems.

Others

• Oxford Nanopore Technologies: Provider of the MinION and VOLTRAX portable DNA sequencing platforms Taxon Expeditions uses in the field. Not a competitor but an enabling technology partner whose product roadmap and pricing directly affect Taxon Expeditions' field-lab capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/taxon_expeditions
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOBlQOn2ujFf3v4sWK573qw
• Facebookfacebook.com/taxonexpeditions
• Instagraminstagram.com/taxon_expeditions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taxon-expeditions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taxon Expeditions